The
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Tuesday, January 28, has
rejected the results of Saturday’s rerun election in Akwa Ibom State.
The INEC
rejected Essien Udim Local Government Area (LGA) of the state where the
commission officials were abducted and forced to compromise the processes.
In a
statement issued by National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter
Education Committee (IVEC), Mr Festus Okoye, in Abuja on Tuesday.
“Okoye said
that the commission had deployed a high-powered team to the state to coordinate
the regeneration of results and conclusion of collation, declaration and
announcement of final results of the rerun election in Oru East/Orsu/Orlu
Federal Constituency.
He said INEC
took the decision on Tuesday after reviewing Saturday’s re-run election in 28
Constituencies, in 11 states.
Okoye said
that INEC noted a marked improvement in compliance with its processes and
procedures during the election, and commended voters, security agents, the
media and election staff for their praiseworthy conduct.
He, however,
said that regrettably, deviant behaviour by a few persons determined to subvert
the people’s will was noticed in a few areas in the course of the election.
“These
isolated incidents minimally affected the peaceful and orderly exercise in only
four of the 28 constituencies where elections were conducted.
“However,
consistent with the Commission’s resolve to sanction electoral bad behaviour,
INEC took the following steps to protect the process:
“In
Akwa-Ibom State, where the officials of INEC were abducted and diverted to an
undesignated location and forced to compromise the elections in Essien Udim
LGA, all the polling units involved were identified and their results
discountenanced,” he said.
Okoye
disclosed that in Isa LGA of Sokoto State, the activities of bandits prevented
INEC from operation in a few polling units, but the Commission successfully
conducted election and declared results
“In Abi
State Constituency of Cross River State, officials of INEC were abducted and
thus prevented from deploying in eight polling units.
“All
officials of the Commission that were abducted have been rescued and accounted
for.
“In
furtherance of its resolve not to accept results from areas where the processes
were disrupted and its officials attacked, the Commission took a firm action by
not accepting results from such areas as it could not vouch for their
integrity.
“But the
Commission notes that in most cases, these incidents were not widespread and
did not significantly affect the overall results. As such, declarations and
returns were made,” he said.
Okoye said
that in the case of Oru East/Orsu/Orlu Federal Constituency of Imo, the
election was conducted peacefully in the 18 polling units as ordered by the
court.
“However,
thugs disrupted the collation of results at the designated Centre in Orlu.
“They
injured our staff and other persons at the Centre, destroyed result sheets and
damaged the Commission’s Local Government building being used for the collation.
Consequently, the Commission suspended the process.
“Arising
from the suspension of collation, the Commission has decided to apply the
provisions of Paragraph 47(f) of its Regulations and Guidelines for the conduct
of the elections.
“This provides
that in the event of such a disruption, saved original and duplicate result
sheets be used to complete the collation of results.
Okoye said
that accordingly, the Commission had deployed a high-powered team consisting of
National Commissioners, Resident Electoral Commissioners and Senior Staff of
the Commission to Imo.
“The team is
to coordinate the regeneration of results and conclusion of collation, as well
as declaration and announcement of the final outcome of the rerun election in
Oru East/Orsu/Orlu Federal Constituency,” he said.
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